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Trump Pardons Highlight System’s Flaws
by Jayson Hawkins
Former President Donald Trump announced 143 pardons and commutations in the final hours of his term. While end-of-term pardons are the norm for outgoing presidents, the huge batch of last-minute announcements from the White House seemed to highlight the growing frustrations of those who believe …
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More from this issue:
- The 10 Worst Sheriffs in America, by Nicole Audrey Spector
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Auditor Slams California ICE Facility That Released Detainees With COVID-19, by Edward Lyon
- Sen. Warren Investigation Exposes Broken Prison Accreditation System, by Jayson Hawkins
- Kentucky Consolidated Local Government Entitled to Sovereign Immunity, by David Reutter
- 25 Years of the AEDPA: Where do We Stand?, by Dale Chappell
- Prisoners Released Without COVID Tests Face Difficult Reentry, by Jayson Hawkins
- Pandemic Medical Update, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Former Georgia Sheriff Deputies Denied Immunity in Criminal Case for Taser Death of Unarmed Man, by David Reutter
- Law Passes Requiring Parents in New York Prisons to be Housed Close to Their Children, by Kevin Bliss
- Mentally Ill Alabama Prisoner Dies in 101-Degree Cell, by Edward Lyon
- Trump Pardons Highlight System’s Flaws, by Jayson Hawkins
- Prioritizing Incarcerated People for Vaccine Quickly Reduced COVID in IL Prisons, by Brian Dolinar
- Massachusetts Medical Parole Cases and COVID-19 Prisoner Deaths, by Edward Lyon
- Class Action Lawsuit Over COVID at Chesapeake, MD Jail Reaches Settlement, by David Reutter
- DOJ: Florida Women’s Prison Subjects Prisoners to Unconstitutional Risk of Sexual Abuse, by Kevin Bliss, David Reutter
- New Hampshire Prisoner Sues to Enforce Conditions of Consent Decree, by David Reutter
- Connecticut Supermax Closing After Lawsuit Filed Seeking to Reduce Use of Solitary, by Anthony Accurso
- Court Orders In-Person Inspection of Michigan Facility to Determine COVID-19 Policy Compliance, by David Reutter
- Inspection Reports Reveal Filthy Conditions In Arizona Prison Kitchens, by Jimmy Jenkins
- Prison Overcrowding Continues During COVID-19 Pandemic, by Edward Lyon
- NY Prisoner Entitled to Release Upon Reaching Conditional Release Date, by David Reutter
- Kentucky Leases Closed Private Prison to Use as State Facility, by Edward Lyon
- Prisoners Find Their Voice in Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, by Edward Lyon
- Texas Republican Representative Proposes Renaming Prisons With Names Honoring Enslavers, Oppressors and Convict Leasers, by Matthew Clarke
- Draconian Use of Solitary Confinement in North Carolina, by Keith Sanders
- Inspector General Calls California Prison Reform Efforts a $10 Million Failure, by Matthew Clarke
- New Jersey Man Dies Soon After Exonerated of Sex Offense, by Edward Lyon
- Sixth Circuit Refuses to Extend Bivens to BOP Prisoner’s First Amendment Claims, by Mark Wilson
- Activism and Art Team Up to Abolish Mass Incarceration, by Keith Sanders
- Connecticut Prisoner Population Lowest in Over Three Decades Due to Coronavirus, by Douglas Ankney
- DWN Report Shows ICE Facilities Were Community Superspreaders of COVID-19, by Matthew Clarke
- State Prison System Takes Over County Jail, by Edward Lyon
- PA Lawsuit Claims Allegheny County Jail Sergeant Brutalized Disabled Women, by David Reutter
- GEO Group Puts Money, Lobbyist into Defeating Bill to Prohibit Private Prisons in Virginia, by David Reutter
- Six Howard County, Indiana Jail Guards Fired Over Sexual Assaults and Harassment of Prisoners, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
- Guard Commits Suicide Amidst Allegations in Federal Prison, by Jayson Hawkins
- Fourth Circuit Holds Immigrant Children’s Mental Health Care Should Be Up to Professional Standards, by David Reutter
- Federal Agencies Rack Up Nearly One Thousand Arrest-Related or In-Custody Deaths in Two Years, DOJ Report Finds, by David Reutter
- Pew Study Shows Crime Falls but Spending on Jails Soar, by David Reutter
- State Auditor Report Critical of Texas Prison Agribusiness, by Matthew Clarke
- Amending the 13th Amendment, by Edward Lyon
- Auditor Appalled at Lack of Spending Controls in Mississippi Prison System, by David Reutter
- Washington Gives Right to Vote to 20,000 People Previously Incarcerated, by Juliette LaMarr
- Pushing Back on Prison Labor, by Lilah Burke
- Fourth Circuit Holds Deaf Federal Civilly Committed Sex Offender Has First Amendment Right of Access to Point-to-Point Videocalls in BOP Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Lawsuit in Prisoner Overdose at San Diego Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Microsoft Invests in Digital Incarceration, by Jayson Hawkins
- Resources for Understanding Today’s Prison System, by Kevin Bliss
- NC Prisoner Survives Summary Judgment for Two Excessive Force Claims, by David Reutter
- Staff Shortages in Georgia Prisons Reach Crisis Levels, by Keith Sanders
- Colorado Grants COVID-19-Related Clemencies, by Edward Lyon
- U.S. DOJ Statistics on Race and Ethnicity of Violent Crime Perpetrators, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
More from Jayson Hawkins:
- Bad Lawyering, Bankruptcy Torpedo Suit Over Delaware Prisoner’s Death, July 15, 2023
- Senators Rail at DOJ Failure to Report In-Custody Deaths, June 15, 2023
- Financial Pressure Finally Brings Police Reform, June 15, 2023
- “Slap On the Wrist” for California Bail Agents Who Hired Bounty Hunter Who Killed Their Client, May 1, 2023
- MTV Documentary Shines Light on Art Behind Bars, May 1, 2023
- Arizona Prisoner Condemned Again for Cellmate’s Murder, May 1, 2023
- U.S. Response to Haitian Crisis: Fund More Prisons, April 1, 2023
- Former State Prison Guards in Georgia Sentenced for Prisoner Assaults and Cover-Up, April 1, 2023
- After Years of Hard Work and Dedication, Adnan Syed Is Freed by Serendipity, March 15, 2023
- Time to Find the Key, March 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- U.S. Jails Hold 52,000 Detainees for Nothing More than “Failure to Appear”, March 1, 2026. Criminal justice system reform, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Bail/Pretrial Release, Arrest/Arraignment.
- Federal Death Row Prisoners Granted Clemency by Biden Are Facing Retaliation by Trump, Feb. 1, 2026. Transfers, Pardons/Clemency, Death Row, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Confinement in Segregated Housing.
- Eighth Circuit Announces Presidential Commutation Does Not Moot Challenge to Underlying Sentence, Jan. 1, 2026. Pardons/Clemency, First Step Act, Qualifying Offenses, Sentence Enhancements/Departures, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- Oklahoma Prisoner Found Unconscious in Cell Hours After Avoiding Execution, Dec. 1, 2025. Public Defenders, Pardons/Clemency, Life without Parole (LWOP), Death Penalty, Effective Assistance of Counsel.
- Missouri Blocks Spiritual Advisors from Prison Pastor’s Execution, Nov. 1, 2025. Pardons/Clemency, Death Penalty, Lethal Injection Method of Execution, Religious Freedom/Worship, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
- SCOTUS Overturns Oklahoma Prisoner’s Death Sentence After More than 25 Years on Death Row, Nov. 1, 2025. Ex Post Facto, Good Time, Wrongful Conviction, Habeas Corpus, Wrongful Imprisonment, Pardons/Clemency, First Step Act, Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act (CAFRA), Specific Offenses, Controlled Substances, Weapons, Accuracy of Information, Depraved Indifference Murder, Evidence - Circumstantial, Theft, Failure to Disclose, Perjury/Perjured Testimony, Evidence - Failure to Disclose, New Trial - Motions for, Pleas Linked to Cooperation, Evidence - Destruction/Fabrication/Manipulation of, Selective Prosecution/Enforcement, Improper Comments, Official Report, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence, Exculpatory Evidence - Disclosure Obligations.
- New York Jury Convicts Former Guard for Robert Brooks’ Taped Killing, Nov. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Criminal justice system reform, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Evidence - Admissibility.
- Jail-Based IGNITE Program Found to Reduce Recidivism, Oct. 1, 2025. Criminal justice system reform, Education, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Educational Opportunities for Inmates.
- Review: “Reforming the Shadow Carceral State”, Aug. 1, 2025. Reviews, Criminal justice system reform, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Fines.
- Former Prisoner Informant Appointed Deputy Director of BOP, July 15, 2025. Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, Informants, War on Drugs, Pardons/Clemency, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Trading Guns for Drugs.

